Upcoming Texas news from The Associated Press

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Good morning! Here's a look at how AP's general news coverage is shaping up today in Texas. Questions about today's coverage plans are welcome, and should be directed to Texas News Editor James Beltran at (972) 991-2100 or jbeltran@ap.org.

A reminder: This information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories, digests and digest advisories will keep you up to date.

Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with all updates.

HOUSTON — The sheriff of Houston's Harris County has adopted a sweeping policy designed to protect and guarantee equal treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender inmates, including allowing transgender individuals to be housed based on the gender they identify with instead of their biological sex. The new policy, which Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia's office believes to be one of the most comprehensive in the country, states "discrimination or harassment of any kind based on sexual orientation or gender identity is strictly prohibited," and outlines how such inmates will be searched, booked and housed, according to a copy of the policy obtained by The Associated Press ahead of an official announcement Thursday. By Ramit Plushnick-Masti. SENT: 520 words.

HURD-DRUG CONSPIRACY

DALLAS — Once an NFL wide receiver and local hero with a $5 million contract, Sam Hurd was reduced to being a convicted felon in orange jail scrubs pleading with a judge to avoid spending the rest of his life in prison. Hurd, 28, was sentenced to 15 years Wednesday for his role in starting a drug-distribution scheme while playing for the Chicago Bears. By Nomaan Merchant. SENT: 900 words, photos.

JFK ANNIVERSARY-POLICE ARCHIVES

DALLAS — From the mug shots police took of Lee Harvey Oswald to the homicide report for the president he was accused of killing, a collection of rarely-seen items has gone on display at Dallas City Hall. The items from the Dallas Municipal Archives went on display this month as the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy as he rode through downtown Dallas. The items will remain on display on the second floor of City Hall through Dec. 9. "Generally, we don't bring them out because of their fragile nature," said John Slate, city archivist. By Jamie Stengle. UPCOMING: 400 words by 1 p.m. CST, photos.

ETHANOL-NEXT GENERATION

NEW YORK — The first trickle of fuels made from agricultural waste is finally winding its way into the nation's energy supply, after years of broken promises and hype promoting a next-generation fuel source cleaner than oil. But as refineries churn out this so-called cellulosic fuel, it has become clear, even to the industry's allies, that the benefits remain, as ever, years away. By Jonathan Fahey. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

FROM AP MEMBERS:

FLUCTUATING TOLL RATES — A Dallas-area toll road will be the first in Texas to have fluctuating rates based on traffic conditions, according to The Dallas Morning News. UPCOMING: 300 words, photos.

HOUSTON-THEME PARK — Developers have announced plans for a sports and entertainment complex on what is now more than 600 acres of piney woods northeast of Houston. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 350 words.

EXCHANGE-FORT WORTH BRIDGE — More than a decade ago, in a bit of architectural doodling, Dean Van Landuyt drew up an arch-shaped bridge with a weave of stainless steel cables on the sides. By Tim Madigan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photo.

IN BRIEF:

— TEEN SLAYING-TEXAS — Testimony continues in the trial of Franklin Davis as prosecutors try to persuade a Dallas County jury to send Davis to death row for killing his children's baby sitter. SENT: 130 words.

— DEAD TODDLER — A West Texas woman has been sentenced to life in prison over the January death of a toddler in her care whose body was found in a box in her basement. SENT: 130 words.

— FORT BLISS-DEPARTING GERMANS — Plans by the German Air Force to leave a West Texas military installation also mean closing a popular bar. SENT: 130 words.

— SPOUSE SLAIN — A North Texas woman has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for the 2009 fatal shooting of her estranged husband at their Arlington home. SENT: 130 words.

— TEACHER-STUDENTS-SEX — A former high school teacher in North Texas has been sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison for having sex with several students. SENT: 130 words.

— OFFICER-INDECENT EXPOSURE — A former Central Texas police officer has been convicted of indecent exposure in an off-duty incident involving a private vehicle outside a mall. SENT: 130 words.

— BOGUS TAX REFUNDS — A tax preparer in Texas who wrongly sought $7.4 million in refunds for the 2009 tax year has pleaded guilty to making a false claim against the government. SENT: 130 words.

— PEARLAND-CHILD PORN — A Houston-area man caught with more than 100,000 images and videos of child pornography has been sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison. SENT: 130 words.

— SAN ANTONIO-POLICE SHOOTING — A man carrying three butcher knives has been fatally shot by police who responded to a South Texas domestic violence call. SENT: 130 words.

— PINNED OFFICER-SHOOTING — An off-duty police officer at a Houston-area apartment complex has fatally shot a driver who pinned him between two vehicles while trying to flee. SENT: 130 words.

— MOTHER-SON-DEAD — The bodies of a woman and her adult son have been found in a Houston-area home and homicide investigators are trying to locate her husband. SENT: 130 words.

BUSINESS:

LOCKHEED MARTIN-JOBS

BETHESDA, Md. — Lockheed Martin is cutting 4,000 jobs, about 3.5 percent of its workforce, as the defense contractor continues to look for ways to lower costs amid reduced government spending. Across-the-board spending cuts by the federal government have helped trim U.S. budget deficits. Budget negotiators in Congress are holding talks centered on find ways to cut spending and tax breaks to replace the automatic cuts that started earlier this year that are slamming the Pentagon and domestic agencies. Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin Corp., maker of Patriot missile defense system and the F-35 and F-16 fighter planes, will close plants in Goodyear, Ariz.; Akron, Ohio; Newtown, Pa.; and Horizon City, Texas; as well as four buildings at its Sunnyvale, Calif. campus, by mid-2015, eliminating 2,000 jobs. SENT: 280 words.

___

If you have stories of regional or statewide interest, please email them to pebbles@ap.org. If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York at statephotos@ap.org and call the photo desk at (888) 273-6867. For access to AP Exchange and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477.

MARKETPLACE: Calling your attention to the Marketplace in AP Exchange, where you can find member-contributed content from Arkansas and other states. The Marketplace is accessible on the left navigational pane of the AP Exchange home page, near the bottom. For both national and state, you can click "All" or search for content by topics such as education, politics and business.